Solo & Improvise
like the greats.

Finally get the music out of your head and onto the fretboard, even if you’ve struggled with soloing for years, or even decades.

Join Solo School

$199 USD · 14-day money-back guarantee

100k+students across 5 courses

14-daymoney-back guarantee

Lifetimeaccess

3.69M+subscribers on YouTube

Paul Davids smiling, playing a red Stratocaster in his studio

Stop thinking.
Start playing.

Hi, this is Paul, and I’m so excited you’re here.

There’s no greater feeling than improvising freely and getting lost in the music. That feeling is why I created Solo School.

If you’re ready to finally get the ideas from your head onto the fretboard, I’d love for you to join me inside.

Cheers,

Imagine that soloing flowed naturally. No thinking, just improvising freely and getting lost in the music.

What if I told you the following was closer than you think?

01
Hit play on any backing track and improvise on the spot: no freezing or scrambling for the next lick
02
Solo in any style and still sound like you
03
Jam with friends and know exactly what to play when it’s your turn to solo
04
Play fast, exciting licks and nail them, without your technique falling apart
05
Make your guitar sing with emotional solos that make you feel something
06
Turn the scales and techniques you already know into solos that sound like music, not exercises
07
Hear an idea in your head, and actually be able to play it
08
Finally escape the pentatonic box, and solo effortlessly over the whole fretboard
09
Bend and use vibrato with confidence, and hear every note land exactly where you meant it
10
Feel proud of how you sound when you pick up your guitar

But for most guitarists, soloing looks a lot more like this…

Mechanical licks and lifeless solos.

Whenever I ask guitarists what they want to learn, soloing and improvisation always top the list.

But when I ask what they struggle with most, it’s exactly the same thing.

Do some of these sound familiar?

If this sounds like you, I have good news. Because you’re much closer to playing expressive solos than you think. You’ve just been focusing on the wrong things to get better.

To unlock your soloing,
you need to understand…

Most guitarists spend years drilling scales, learning theory, and chasing complexity.

And yet they end up with solos that sound repetitive and boring, because they ignore what really matters.

You don’t need to learn a bunch of random licks, pore over music theory or spend endless hours practicing scales.

You need to learn how to take the notes and scales you already know, and turn them into solos that make you feel something.

And there’s no better way to do this than by studying the greats.

Immerse yourself in their playing, soak up their skills, and make them your own.

That’s what Solo School is all about.

Introducing

Solo & Improvise
Like the Greats.

In Solo School you’ll learn the techniques and approaches of the greatest guitarists of all time, and make them your own. Break out of the pentatonic box, improvise across the fretboard, and finally play beautiful solos that you hear in your head.

Solo School on a laptop and a phone, with a red Stratocaster in front

$199 USD · 14-day money-back guarantee

Learn Through Immersion

Solo School is made up of five unique worlds, built around the guitarists who inspire us. We’ll dive into their worlds, study their playing, soak up their skills, and then make them our own.

Each of the five worlds follows the same system:

01
Discover the signature moves

How Gilmour creates so much emotion, the way Knopfler tracks the chords, and how Mayer builds energy and excitement.
02
Make them second nature

Get each move under your fingers so it flows naturally, with technique check-ins along the way to keep you making progress.
03
Play the solo

Bring the moves together into a beautiful solo told in that guitarist’s voice.
04
Make it your own

Take the magic from the players you love, and use it to tell a story that’s yours.

Never get lost.

Every lesson is shot from multiple camera angles, with close-ups on both hands where needed, and tabs on screen the whole time, so you can see exactly what my fingers are doing.

Top-down camera
Multiple camera angles
Tab on screen

12 weeks from now,
you’ll be playing solos you’re proud of.

Where you end up

01
Play what you hear in your head
No more feeling blocked when the backing track comes on. You’ll finally bring the ideas in your head straight onto the fretboard, and turn them into solos that tell a story.
02
Improvise freely all over the fretboard
Move wherever you want on the neck, with clean, controlled technique. No more feeling trapped in the same small box shapes, or holding back from a bend or a faster run for fear of clipping a string.
03
Fun and targeted practice
Know exactly what to work on, every time you sit down to play. No more wasted sessions, and no more looking back on a year of practice with little to show for it.

Step inside the playing of the greats until their moves become yours.

Solo School is built around five worlds, each shaped by an iconic guitarist or style. Learn the techniques behind their signature sound, put them together into a unique solo, and then make them your own.

Here’s what you’ll learn in each world, and the solo you’ll play at the end:

World 01

David Gilmour

Say more with two or three notes than most guitarists do in an entire solo.

Learn how to create the same emotion in your solos, so you can tell a captivating story with even the simplest ideas.

Bends that land dead in tune, every time
Smooth, controlled vibrato that makes simple licks sing
Phrasing that turns a handful of notes into a story

Beyond The Wall0:00 / -:--

World 02

The Blues

B.B. King · Eric Clapton

The foundation everything else is built on. Without the blues, none of the other players in this course would sound the way they do.

Learn how to play every note with intent and make everything that you play more expressive.

The famous box shape used by the greats to mix major and minor flavors
Blues phrasing and call and response, so you always know what to play next
Blending chords and lead lines, so you never noodle over the changes

BJ’s Blues0:00 / -:--

World 03

Mark Knopfler

Stop thinking in scales. Start soloing in the style of one of the most instantly recognizable guitarists of all time.

Learn Knopfler’s fingerstyle touch, his rhythmic feel and how he tracks every change, so you’re always locked in with the chords.

The fingerstyle technique that opens up a totally new sound
Rhythmic feel that makes simple phrases sing
Targeting chord tones to build a story over any progression

Nothing For Free0:00 / -:--

World 04

John Mayer

The raw emotion of the blues, with a modern, melodic twist.

Learn how Mayer builds one simple idea into beautiful and dramatic solos, with the moves he adapted from his heroes Hendrix and SRV.

The major-minor mix behind Mayer’s iconic live solos
Classic Hendrix and SRV moves and how to make them your own
Pentatonic licks that sound like melodies, not scales

Slow Fallin’0:00 / -:--

World 05

Rock

Jimmy Page · Slash

Take the ideas from the other four worlds and kick them up a notch.

Add the speed and control to play what you hear in your head, and bring real energy and excitement to your solos.

Licks with attitude, in the style of the rock greats
Speed drills you’ll actually use
Motifs that turn fast playing into a story

Weeping Wall0:00 / -:--

The Practice Center:
There’s a plan for that.

Shaky bends. Buzzing strings. Picking that falls apart the second you speed up.

That’s what the Practice Center is for: 30 targeted practice plans for the skills each world demands, plus all the tools you’ll need (metronome, tuner, scale library). These aren’t drills for drills’ sake. They’re precise plans, for every level, that tackle the exact bottlenecks standing between you and the story you want to tell.

The Practice Center

Two bonuses to take
your solos further.

Bonus 1

The Artist Playbooks

Sound like your heroes

The secrets behind each player’s tone, and how to get close to it on any budget. Plus what to listen for in their greatest solos, and their signature moves, broken down one by one.

Bonus 2

The Backing Track Library

Tracks inspired by iconic songs

Original tracks for every world. Chords on screen as they change, plus my pointers on how to approach each one.

Paul Davids holding his guitar in his studio — In the studio

Paul Davids with John Mayer — In the studio

100,000+students across my guitar courses

3.69M+subscribers on YouTube

10 yearsteaching students one-on-one

5online courses since 2018

Your teacher

Hi, I’m
Paul Davids.

Soloing is why I fell in love with the guitar. I still remember working out my favorite Metallica solos by ear in my friend’s bedroom, and the buzz when it all came together.

I went on to study music at Rotterdam Conservatory and teach one-on-one for ten years, then started a YouTube channel that has connected me with millions of guitarists worldwide, and has even led me to meet heroes of mine, like Jimmy Page, Paul Simon, and John Mayer.

Since launching my first online course in 2018, I’ve created four more, helping over 100,000 students improve their technique, build their confidence and deepen their love of the guitar.

For me, there’s no greater feeling than when soloing and improvisation all click together. That’s why I created Solo School, and I’m so happy to share it with you.

Student Results.

Before I officially opened the doors, I gave a small group of students access to the course, and it blew me away. And the crazy thing? They only had two weeks to practice.

Student story 01

Student story 02

Student story 03

Student story 04

Student videos will be added here.

Join Solo School.

When you join, everything below is yours for life.

What’s included

All five worlds: Gilmour, the Blues, Knopfler, Mayer and Rock
An original solo in every world, taught move by move
In-depth video lessons beautifully shot from multiple angles, with tabs on screen
Technique check-ins throughout
The Practice Center: 30 practice plans for the skills each world demands
Bonus 1The Artist Playbooks, the tone secrets behind each player
Bonus 2The Backing Track Library, tracks inspired by iconic songs
Plus my 14-day money-back guarantee

^$199

USD

Prefer to spread it out? Choose 3 monthly payments of $79 at checkout.

Secure checkout

Doors close Sunday 4 October, 11:59pm ET

Join today and get instant access

Pay $199 once, or in three payments of $79. Every world is open from day one, and you go at your own pace.

Fourteen days to decide

If you find the course isn’t a good fit, simply email my team within 14 days, and I’ll refund your entire purchase, no questions asked.

Proven across 100,000+ students

Over the years, I’ve taught more than 100,000 students through my online courses and helped them improve their playing.

Is Solo School right for you?

Solo School isn’t for everyone, and I want it to work for you.

Solo School is for you if

You’ve played for years and know your scales, but your solos still sound like exercises
You freeze or fall back on the same licks the moment a backing track starts
You want to improvise on the spot, not just play other people’s solos
You want to play with feel and emotion, not just hit the right notes
You’re inspired by the playing of Gilmour, Mayer, Knopfler, Clapton or Hendrix
You’ve got an hour or two a week, not a few hours a day

It’s probably not for you if

You’ve only just started. Get comfortable with your chords and some scales first, then come back to this.
You only want speed. There’s speed in here, but it serves the music. This isn’t a shred course.
You want note-for-note tabs of famous solos. You’ll learn original solos in each player’s style, and the moves behind them.
You mainly play acoustic. Solo School is an electric guitar course, and every solo is taught on electric.

A few good
questions.

Am I the right level for Solo School?

I built Solo School for intermediate guitarists. If you know some scales and have used techniques like bending but your solos still sound like exercises, you’ll love it. If you’ve only just started, I’d recommend getting comfortable with your chords and some scales first, and coming back in the future.

Will I learn to improvise, or just play other people’s solos?

Improvisation is what this course is all about. In each world, you discover a player’s signature moves, practice them until they’re second nature, and then bring them together in an original solo in that player’s style. Then you take those ideas and use them to make music of your own.

How much time do I need each week?

An hour or two a week, split over a few sessions, is enough. I built Solo School for players with full-time jobs and families, and the Practice Center plans are short and focused, so you can still make progress with even 20 minutes.

What if my technique isn’t good enough yet?

You don’t need perfect technique to start (no such thing even exists!). Technique check-ins are built into the lessons, and if one skill is holding you back, the Practice Center has a short plan for it, whether that’s in-tune bends, steadier vibrato or alternate picking.

Do I have to follow the worlds in order?

No. Every world follows the same structure, so start with the player who inspires you most, or take it from the top with the world of David Gilmour. The skills you learn in each world carry over to the rest, so there’s no wrong place to begin.

How is Solo School different from your other courses?

Solo School is my only course focused entirely on soloing. You immerse yourself in the playing of the greats, learn to solo in their styles, and then make it your own. My other electric courses cover both rhythm and lead.

Next Level Playing helps you move freely all over the fretboard and understand triads, and Electric Elevation takes your electric playing further with modes, spread triads and more advanced material. Either one or both would make a great companion to Solo School.

Do I need an electric guitar and lots of gear?

Solo School is built for electric guitar, but you don’t need a cranked tube amp and fifty pedals to sound like your heroes. So much of your tone is in your hands, and the Artist Playbooks show you how to get great tones on any budget.

Are the Artist Playbooks and backing tracks included?

Yes, both come with Solo School. The Artist Playbooks explore the tones behind the players, and the Backing Track Library gives you a range of tracks to solo over with the chords on screen, so you can follow the changes as you play.

How long do I get access, and is there a subscription?

You get lifetime access. There’s no subscription: pay once, or in three monthly payments, and it’s yours for good. So if life gets in the way for a few weeks, you can pick up right where you left off.

What if Solo School isn’t for me?

There’s no risk in trying it. Your purchase is covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee, so if it isn’t right for you, let my team know and they’ll refund you right away.

The solo in your head, on the fretboard.

I built Solo School so you can stop thinking and start playing the ideas in your head.

For you, maybe that’s a late-night session where, for the first time, you’re not thinking about technique, or the scale, or what note comes next. You’re just playing. Or maybe it’s finally saying yes when friends ask you to jam, and stepping in for your solo knowing you’ve already got this.

Those moments don’t come from more scales, more licks or more hours of theory. They come from spending time in the worlds of the players who made you want to pick up a guitar.

I hope you join. I’ll see you inside.

$199 USD. 14-day money-back guarantee.

Solo & Improviselike the greats.

Stop thinking.Start playing.